We live in a time where people feel lonely even when they’re surrounded by a crowd. Where did we go wrong?
Before actually getting into the subject matter of this blog post, I want you to think about the last time you had a heart-to-heart, and face-to-face conversation with anyone. Go on, think it out. Finding it difficult to jog your memory, isn’t it? That’s exactly the whole point of this blog post.
In this mad chaos of trying to fit in, in the constant race to earn more likes on our social media posts, and in hurriedly typing instant messages, haven’t we forgotten to sit and talk to each other in person?
There are definitely more number of people in our lives than has ever been before. Be it our Facebook friends, Twitter and Instagram followers, and so many others. We find great pride in sharing the number of “friends” we have on social media, and the numbers just keep adding. Let me not restrict this to social media alone. Even in physical presence, we do acquaint ourselves with quite a lot of people while socialising.
Yet, have we ever, even for a moment felt true, inner joy of contentment? At the end of the day, it is only you. There are times when we feel lonely despite the people around us. Why is it so?
Maybe because we never connect to the other people? Everyone you meet may not have the same views, opinions, and likes as you do. No matter what you say, there are people who will not agree with you. It isn’t about agreement, solely. No matter what you consider your friendships and acquaintances to be, it’s a rarity when the other person truly understands you.
Let me give you my example. I’m an introvert. Until and unless I know you well enough, I might not talk freely. That’s the universal trait of introverts and I’m not unique. As much as I like to spend time with my close friends and family, I hesitate to make friendships just like that. I’m not quite that person who freely mingles with a crowd and manages to make friends in a short span of time. If you go by the number of friends I have, they can be counted on your fingers. Nonetheless, I cherish all of them.
There is this fairly new concept doing rounds nowadays. It’s called FOMO or Fear Of Missing Out. The abbreviation is self-explanatory. Nevertheless, it means a constant fear faced by people about missing out on events, moments, and experiences. That’s when people feel the need to be present everywhere, just so that they do not lose touch with anything.
The Wikipedia page of Fear Of Missing Out (yes! It has a Wikipedia page too), states that a survey conducted in the US and UK among millennials (age 18 to 35) brought to fore that majority of them felt the need to be in constant touch with what’s happening around them, fearing that they’ll miss out on something.
What could possibly be the solution to this ever-present loneliness that we feel? We simply have to train ourselves to be contented with whatever we have. One cannot have everything. Instead, focus your attention on what feels good to you. We should stop envying those perfect social media posts of others and instead try JOMO (Joy Of Missing Out) 😃
Oh well, that’s another topic for another day.
The Soulful Nib 
Thank you so much for the feature chetana! I loved this blog post. very well done
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Glad you liked it 🙂 Thank you so much 🙂
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It’s a wonderful blog again chets. True that we live in the world where all fear missing out. But being ourself and with the restricted group of our favorite people is never a bad thing. That’s actually the best feeling than being in that huge crowd of fakes and feeling left out😁. Great blog chets😘
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Thank you Aishwarya 🙂
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To be honest …I cannot relate to this whole concept…may be because I grew up in the 80s and 90s where there was no concept cell phones, social media etc …Everywhere I went, I studied, I worked ….I have met genuine people who I can laugh, cry and have a talk heart to heart. I have worked in 4 companies so far met people from various countries made good friends who I can talk from where we left off …Within the family, even though I live far far away …I spend atleast 3-4 hours a week talking to my mother, sister and mother-in-law. I dont call them every day but when I call ..we talk atleast for an hour or sometimes more. They never hesitate to message me and call them immediately when they need to have a moment with me. We’ve had moments of happiness, sadness, laughter, tears but we have shared them all. It took me a while to develop that kind of a relationship with my mother-in-law. Every person has their own beliefs and opinions. Overtime I have realized that the key to developing trust is that you respect each others opinions and beliefs. Basically you agree to disagree with each other and just laugh it off …
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At the end ..I meant to say …I never struggled to fit but …and never had this fear ….I think people around me have made sure that never happened 🙂
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Absolutely delighted to read a different account on relationships. 🙂
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Fear of missing for me this is a new subject, because my nature is like water , I will adjust with all situation. God has blessed me with sooo many good friends and good surrounding. But i have seen many people with this fear.After reading your blog i started thinking .Any how keep on writing which gives us good knowledge
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Thank you 🙂
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